It's blackberry season in Maryland and I just brought home a bucket of freshly picked berries. Despite a healthy dose of soap and water, my fingernails are stained purple. Looking at my hands, I can't help but think of childhood summers spent with my grandparents. One memory always makes me smile. *** The heat was oppressive, rising up from the ground in swells. My arms glistened with sweat as soon as I left the cabin. The vegetation was so thick, the sky looked green. The air was live with the sound of insects and birds and I heard the occasional rat-a-tat of a woodpecker. I stood just …
"I've never fallen in a creek before," my 10-year-old son informed me after a day of camp at Locust Grove Nature Center. A mud-stained T-shirt and shorts bore witness to his words. Yet his tone wasn't filled with frustration, but pride. "I caught a tadpole," he added, a wide smile crossing his face. I felt a pang of guilt, thinking back to childhood summers spent at my grandpa's cabin: picking wild blackberries, tending the garden, digging for earthworms, fishing from a jon boat. It's true that while I have a fondness for soil, I have an aversion to mud. Have I really never taken my son…
I may never learn what kind of frogs we saw the other night. I do know that they probably weren’t Spring peepers. My 10-year-old son loves frogs. So when I spied a tiny Kermit on our front door, I had to drag him out of bed. It was around 10 p.m., just after a drenching rain had flattened most of the vegetation in my garden. I handed my son the flashlight and we tromped through the sopping yard in tandem. As soon as we spotted our quarry, we passed the flashlight back and forth, swinging the beam in random directions like a couple of crazed prowlers. Teeny frogs were out in force, each …
Ever since I took my children to see Wings of Fancy, my toddler daughter finds them everywhere: in the pages of her books, gracing the walls of nearby nature centers, flying in our garden. She shouts happily and points at each one. "Buh-fly!" There are hundreds of North American, Costa Rican and Asian butterflies flitting about the Wings of Fancy conservatory at Brookside Gardens. The range of colors represented is stunning, from the vibrant Blue Morpho to the Great Orange Tip. The mammoth of the exhibit, the Atlas Moth of Southeast Asia, spreads its triangle-patterned orange and gray wings …
Something had to be done. Our home looked like a shrine to the shore. My seashell collections dominated every flat surface in our townhouse. Shells were loosely organized by trip: tiny ones from the Pacific Ocean in a brandy snifter, large spirals from a remote North Carolina beach on the mantle, orange sea scallops from Spain in a woven basket. I even owned several jars of sand. It was time for drastic measures. After a quick trip to the Germantown Public Library, I came home armed with numerous books on crafting. I went into Michaels and purchased supplies: naked wreaths of straw, …
On a recent summer morning, desperate to entertain my rowdy brood of three, we drove to Seneca Creek State Park for a picnic and play time. The park is just five minutes up Clopper Road from our townhouse in Germantown. The Pines is one of five picnic areas in the park. The picnic tables - a mix of old-fashioned wood and metal interspersed with newer recycled plastic - are surrounded by mature pine trees. A fragrant layer of pine needles covers the ground. Our simple lunch was elevated to an experience by enjoying it under the trees surrounded by bird song. Josette Wiggins, park ranger, …
As I walked into Brookside Gardens, I couldn't believe my luck. An older couple was standing in the landscaping near the entrance, vigorously painting an art display of twisted, weathered vines. "Are you the artists?" I asked, barely able to contain my excitement. Once Seth Goldstein and Paula Stone confirmed that yes, they were, I babbled at them with the enthusiasm of meeting a celebrity power couple. Goldstein and Stone, a husband-and-wife team, are known for their invasive species art. “Jaws is made out of Oriental bittersweet,” Goldstein said, indicating the display under his brush…
The trees wore a rainbow of colors — green, yellow, orange, and red — with the ripest berries slightly out of reach. I had just decided that the cherries looked like polka dot party decorations when I noticed him. Tomi Harman was serious about picking cherries. He had brought a ladder. My daughter and I were standing in the middle of an orchard at Homestead Farm, baking in the sweltering heat. We could hear the hum of a tractor, the chattering of birds, lone insect calls and the occasional human voice. Despite the short drive, it was a vastly different array of sounds than we routinely hear …
It all started innocently enough. At first, I purchased just enough to grace my front porch. Later, I justified buying more because I wanted to give them to my sons. Then, I craved still more for the back yard. Finally, late last summer, there was this sale on terra cotta ... I admit it. I am addicted to flower pots. I own a dizzying array for someone who lives in a townhouse. I barely even have a yard. Yet, I love flowers. I'm hoping to instill this love of dirt, worms and wonder in my three children. My oldest two helped me to plant a garden this year. My first-born brought an artistic eye…
I didn't realize the folly of my plan until we were deep in the farm field. My 2-year-old daughter was picking every berry in sight, including those that were unripe, bruised or moldy. "Pick the red ones!" I admonished, realizing even as I spoke that she doesn't yet know her colors. To my surprise, she reached down and grabbed a beautiful, ripe berry. "That's a nice one," I encouraged, pointing at the bucket. My daughter flung the berry into the pail with such force that I actually flinched. "Strawberry!" she said, giving me a proud smile. I looked down at my daughter's happy face and …
Upon leaving the car, my 2-year-old daughter gave an enthusiastic shout. “Trees!” On a recent cloudy morning, we ducked between rain showers to slip in a walk around the nearby neighborhood lake. After several days cooped up indoors — with my toddler sitting in the dishwasher, dunking breakfast cereal in my soda, and coloring on the furniture — I needed to get her out of the house and run her around. Tucked in the middle of condos and townhomes, Gunners Lake is actually part of the Montgomery County stormwater system, built to withstand the peak runoff from a 100-year flood event. The lake…
Every year when I plan my flower garden, I vow to add native plants. And every year, I wind up with a shopping cart stacked full of the cheapest, gaudiest plants that the home improvement store has to offer. This year, I decided, things would be different. I spoke with Denise Gibbs, park naturalist at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds, and asked her about the benefits of going native. "Native plants are adapted to our soils and our climate so they often perform better than cultivated varieties," said Gibbs. She added that native plants are better for the environment because they provide …
This year, in an effort to have a more eco-friendly Easter, I decided to purchase local pasture-raised eggs and color them using fruit and vegetable juices. To find the eggs, I enlisted the help of Katie McCormick, a Germantown locavore. On a recent wet April morning, she and I traveled along Maryland Route 28, winding our way through the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve on a quest to find free-range chickens. Established in 1980 by the Montgomery County Council, the Agricultural Reserve is the largest farmland protection program in the United States. Roughly 93,000 acres of …
Celebrating Earth Month --- and cleaning out the garage --- could be as easy as making a trip to the grocery store. Whole Foods Market in Kentlands will collect old bicycles and will be accepting used furniture and appliance donations at its store today, Saturday, April 16. Whole Foods marketing team leader Candace Child said the events were tied to Earth Month. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bikes for the World will be accepting bicycles in repairable condition, as well as bicycle parts and accessories. Missing parts are fine, excessive rust is not. No tricycles, please. “We will be collecting …
What happens on the land will affect our water supply – that is the impression organizers hope to leave with the young visitors to this year’s H2O Fest. “We are educating kids to become the next generation of environmental stewards,” said Sandy August, community outreach coordinator for WSSC. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission will host its fourth annual H2O Fest from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today at the Seneca Wastewater Treatment Plant – the first time the event has been held in Germantown. The free, family-friendly event is intended to teach the public about ways to preserve and …
Mark your calendar! The 23rd Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup is next Saturday, April 9, 2011. The cleanup is part of the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative, a program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation. What makes the Potomac River so special? “It’s the nation’s river," said Becky Horner, Potomac River Watershed Cleanup Coordinator. "This is the nation’s watershed. If we want to see changes in all of the rivers in the country, it has got to start here.” Last year, more than 14,500 volunteers from Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia participated …
At long last, spring has come to Germantown. Despite the cold weather projected for Sunday, it's time to celebrate! Here are seven eco-friendly ways to appreciate the season: Buy a new bird feeder. "Recycled plastic feeders are a great way to go," said Keith Hamilton, co-owner of Germantown's Wild Birds Unlimited. "They help keep milk jugs and soda bottles out of landfills. We’re going to have all of our recycled bird feeders - and bird houses as well - at 20% off for the whole month of April in celebration of Earth Day.” Plan (don't plant) your garden. Germantown Meadows Farms …
One of the great things about living in Germantown is being close enough to Washington, D.C. to enjoy events like the 19th annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. The focus of this year's festival is the relationship between energy and the environment. Showing at over 60 venues across the region, the 150 films at this year's festival span a wide range of topics - from wind power to whale song. The festival started last Tuesday, but there's still plenty of time to see many of these unique and innovative films before the festival ends on March 27, 2011. Helen Strong, …
Looking to add some green to your home? Head over to the Suburban Maryland Spring Home Show from American Consumer Shows and check out these vendors: Leo Sunergy and Green Street Solar Leo Sunergy and Green Street Solar are regional suppliers of solar electric systems. In the Germantown area, a system like this might qualify for federal, state and/or Montgomery County tax rebates. Check with your certified tax professional prior to installation. Leo Sunergy is a small solar company based in Derwood, Maryland. Amanda Johnson, office manager, said that her company has been in business for …
Do you enjoy Montgomery Parks? Now is a good time to volunteer. “We’re gearing up for the spring flurry of events,” said Lynn Vismara, volunteer coordinator. “We’re very weather-oriented. We’re very busy in the spring and in the fall, although we do have opportunities in the winter and the summer.” The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, known as M-NCPPC, is the state-chartered bi-county agency which provides the parks system for both Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. “Volunteers bridge the gap between the commission and the community we serve,” said Jayne …
